The 42-Minute Walk That Turned Grief Into a Leadership Legacy

Meri Stockwell is the founder and CEO of Meritas Advisory Group and a leadership strategist who has coached more than 600 emerging leaders over three decades. In this episode, she and Bernie talk about a different side of her work: a 6 a.m. walking ritual that started after she lost her two dogs within two years of each other. Meri added the dates of their deaths together, landed on the number 42, and promised herself she'd walk at least 42 minutes every morning. That ritual eventually brought a Cavapoo she calls CC into her life, and CC brought along an unofficial job title, Chief Cultural Officer. Together they created Sunrise Saturday, a weekly video series that's grown into a real community of viewers, neighbors, and old friends who show up for three tips and a treat joke every week. Meri and Bernie connect the story to the show's five fulfillment pillars and talk about why the parts of leadership we soften are often the parts people remember most.